U.S. patent number 9,868,372 [Application Number 14/685,918] was granted by the patent office on 2018-01-16 for energy absorbing seatback panel.
This patent grant is currently assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Iskander Farooq, Mohammed Omar Faruque, Dean M. Jaradi, Robert William McCoy.
United States Patent |
9,868,372 |
McCoy , et al. |
January 16, 2018 |
Energy absorbing seatback panel
Abstract
A seatback includes a frame and a panel rotatably coupled to the
frame. A support bracket is attached to the frame with a lever is
rotatably coupled to the support bracket. The lever is configured
to engage the panel with a frame supported actuator via a cable
attached to the actuator and the lever.
Inventors: |
McCoy; Robert William (Ann
Arbor, MI), Jaradi; Dean M. (Macomb, MI), Faruque;
Mohammed Omar (Ann Harbor, MI), Farooq; Iskander (Novi,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
(Dearborn, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
57043539 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/685,918 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160304046 A1 |
Oct 20, 2016 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/42745 (20130101); B60N 2/42709 (20130101); B60N
2/4221 (20130101); B60N 2/4249 (20130101); B60N
2/4228 (20130101); B60N 2/42727 (20130101); B60R
21/02 (20130101); B60R 2021/022 (20130101); B60R
2021/0273 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/42 (20060101); B60R 21/02 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Fox; Charles A
Assistant Examiner: Veraa; Christopher E
Attorney, Agent or Firm: MacKenzie; Frank A. Bejin Bieneman
PLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A seatback, comprising: a frame; a panel rotatably coupled to
the frame at a hinge joint; a support bracket supported by the
frame; a lever spaced from and decoupled from the hinge joint and
rotatably coupled to the support bracket and configured to engage
the panel at a location along the panel spaced from the hinge
joint; and a pyrotechnic actuator supported by the frame and having
a cable attached to the lever.
2. The seatback of claim 1, further comprising a deployment member
fixed to the lever and presenting an attachment point spaced from
the lever and connected to the cable.
3. The seatback of claim 2, wherein the deployment member is a disc
annularly disposed about the lever.
4. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the lever is deformable
relative to the frame.
5. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the lever is plastic.
6. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the lever is a composite
material.
7. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the lever is aluminum.
8. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the lever includes a rod
coupled to the support bracket and an arm extending transversely
from the rod.
9. The seatback of claim 8, wherein the arm is deformable relative
to the frame.
10. The seatback of claim 8, wherein the arm includes a rounded
end.
11. The seatback of claim 10, wherein the rounded end is deformable
relative to the frame.
12. The seatback of claim 8, wherein the arm is plastic.
13. The seatback of claim 1, further comprising a spring mechanism
coupled to the frame and to the panel and extending from the frame
to the panel, the spring mechanism being spaced from the hinge
joint.
14. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the panel is nylon.
15. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the panel is polyester.
16. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the seatback further
comprising a strip positioned to receive the lever.
17. The seatback of claim 16, further comprising an additional
strip extending across the panel.
18. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the panel presents a class A
surface.
19. The seatback of claim 1, wherein the panel is flexible relative
to the frame and the lever.
20. The seatback of claim 8, further comprising a deployment member
fixed to the lever and presenting an attachment point spaced from
the lever and connected to the cable, wherein the arm is
longitudinally spaced from the attachment point along the lever.
Description
BACKGROUND
An interior of a vehicle, such as automobile, typically includes
energy absorbers for absorbing kinetic energy from occupants of the
vehicle during an impact of the vehicle. One or more of the energy
absorbers may be passive and designed and built into the interior
of the vehicle. One or more of the energy absorbers can be active
and triggered when an impact is detected. The active energy
absorber may be in communication with an actuator and an impact
sensing system. The impact sensing system may include a plurality
of sensors for sensing the impact and a controller in communication
with the sensors and the actuator. The controller, based upon an
impact sensed by the sensors, causes the actuator to be triggered
to deploy the active energy absorber.
The vehicle may include energy absorbers to absorb energy from rear
occupants, i.e., occupants seated behind a first row of seats,
during impact. During a frontal impact, the rear occupants may move
forward toward the front row of seats. However, the space in the
interior of the vehicle is limited. As such, there remains an
opportunity to design an energy absorber for rear occupants that
fits within packaging constraints of the vehicle and may be cost
effective to install and replace.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat with a panel in a
stowed position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat with the panel in
a deployed position.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the panel in the stowed position.
FIG. 4 is a rear view of a portion a frame of the vehicle seatback
without the panel shown for illustrative purposes.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the panel in the
stowed position showing a lever, a support bracket, a frame, an
actuator, a cable, a member, and a reinforcing member.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lever showing a rod with an arm
with a rounded end.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the panel in the deployed
position.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the panel in the deployed
position.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an actuator and an impact sensing
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like
parts throughout the several views, a vehicle 10 is generally
shown. With reference to FIGS. 1-2, an occupant 14 (e.g., a test
dummy 14 in FIGS. 1-2) is seated in a rear seat 15 behind a front
seat 17. With continued reference to FIGS. 1-2, the front seat 17
includes a seat bottom 19 and a seatback 16 extending upwardly from
the seat bottom 19. The seatback 16 includes a panel 18 rotatably
coupled to a frame 26 via a hinge joint 20, as shown in FIG. 3.
In the event of a rapid deceleration of the vehicle 10, such as in
a collision with another vehicle, the occupant 14 of the rear seat
15 will tend to keep moving in the direction of the vehicle 10
during the deceleration of the vehicle 10. Upon such an occurrence,
the panel 18, which is attached to the frame 26 via the hinge joint
20 will rotate away from the seatback 16 and create a kinetic
energy absorbing buffer space between the occupant 14 and the front
seat 17. In other words, as the occupant 14 moves toward the
seatback 16, the occupant 14 may contact the panel 18 may absorb
energy from the occupant 14.
The panel 18, more specifically, may move between a stowed
position, as shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 5, and a deployed position, as
shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8. In the stowed position, the panel 18 is
retracted relative to the frame 26 to minimize occupied space in
the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10. In the deployed
position, at least a portion of the panel 18 is spaced from the
frame 26 to absorb energy from the occupant 14, e.g., the legs
and/or feet of the occupant 14.
A support bracket 24 is fixed on either side of the frame 26 and a
lever 22 is rotatably coupled to the support bracket 24, as shown
in FIG. 4. The hinge joint 20 is spaced from the lever 22 as shown
in FIG. 5. The lever 22 is configured to engage the panel 18, as
shown in FIG. 7. In other words, the lever 22 contacts the panel 18
and moves at least a portion of the panel 18 away from the frame 26
in the deployed position, as set forth further below.
An actuator 28 is coupled to the frame 26. The actuator 28 is
configured to move the panel 18 from the stowed position to the
deployed position. A cable 30 is fixed to and extends from the
actuator 28 and is coupled to the lever 22 deployment member 32 may
be fixed to the lever 22 and may present an attachment point spaced
from the lever 22 and fixed to the cable 30. The deployment member
32 may be a disc annularly disposed about the lever 22 (as shown)
or the deployment member 32 may be a fulcrum rod (not shown)
attached to the lever 22 to increase the mechanical advantage of
the lever 22. Alternatively, the deployment member 32 may be any
suitable configuration.
When an impact is sensed, the actuator 28 retracts the cable 30 to
rotate the deployment member 32 and the lever 22 relative to the
support bracket 24. As the lever 22 pivots the panel 18 about the
hinge joint 20 to move the panel 18 to the deployed position. The
actuator 28 may, for example, be in communication with an impact
sensing system 62, which detects input from of the vehicle 10, as
set forth further below. The actuator may, for example, be a
pyrotechnic actuator or, alternatively, may be any suitable
type.
The lever 22 may be deformable relative to the frame 26. As such,
when the lever 22 is rotated to move the panel 18 to the deployed
position, the lever 22 may deform when contacts the panel 18. The
deformation of the lever 22 absorbs energy from the occupant 14.
For example, sections of the lever 22, such as an arm 36 and/or a
rounded end 38 may be configure to collapse or pivot selectively
outward, rearward and upward, in a predetermined manner under
stress loads during a collision. The lever 22 may, for example, be
a rigid polymer, e.g., a plastic, a composite material, or a soft
metal such as aluminum, etc. The rounded end 38 is rounded to
encourage collapse and to slide across the panel 18 as the two
panel 18 is moved to the deployed position.
When the actuator 28 is activated to rotate the lever 22 and move
the panel 18 to the deployed position, as shown in FIG. 7, the
lever 22 causes the panel 18 to be taught between the hinge joint
20 and the lever 22. Since panel 18 is taught when deployed, the
panel 18 acts as a kinetic energy absorbing buffer between the
occupant 14 and the frame 26.
A spring mechanism 40 may be fixed to the frame 26 and the panel
18, e.g., a lower portion of the panel 18. When the panel 18 is in
the undeployed position, the spring mechanism 40 is slack, as shown
in FIG. 5. When the panel 18 is deployed to the deployed position,
the spring mechanism 40 becomes taut to position the panel 18
relative to the frame 26 and align the panel 18 on to the lever 22,
as shown in FIG. 7.
The panel 18 may be flexible relative to the frame 26 and/or the
lever 22. The panel 18 may be, for example, nylon, polyester, or
any polymer with an appropriate tensile strength and elasticity.
Alternatively, the panel 18 may be any suitable material. In order
to help increase the strength of the panel 18, a strip 34 material
may be affixed to the panel positioned to receive the lever 22 when
the panel 18 is deployed, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition to, or in
the alternative to the strip 34, an additional strip 35 may be also
affixed on to the panel 18. For example, the additional strip 35
may extend from the corners of the panel 18 in a diagonal direction
across the panel 18, as shown in FIG. 5. The strip 34 and the
additional strip 35 may be same material as the panel 18 or may be
a different material than the panel 18.
The strip 34 and the additional strip 35 may be integral with the
panel 18, i.e., formed together simultaneously as a single unit.
For example, the strip 34, the additional strip 35 and the panel 18
may be integrally formed by injection molding. The strip 34 and the
additional strip 35 alternatively, may be formed separately from
the panel 18 and subsequently added to the panel 18. For example,
the strip 34 and the additional strip 35 may be attached by an
adhesive compound or chemically welded to the panel 18. As another
example, the strip 34 and the additional strip 35 may be sewn on to
the panel 18 with thread.
The panel 18, may present a class-A surface, i.e., a surface
specifically manufactured to have a high quality, finished
aesthetic appearance free of blemishes. The panel 18 in the stowed
position may be substantially flush with the rest of the seatback
16, e.g., aligned along the edges of an opening without
indentation.
With reference to FIG. 9, the vehicle 10 may include an impact
sensing system 62. The impact sensing system 62 may include an
impact sensor 50 and a controller 52. The controller 52 is in
communication with the actuator 28 and may include a processor 54
and a memory 56, as shown in FIG. 9. The memory 56 stores
instructions executable by the processor 54 to control the actuator
28. The controller 52 may be programmed to, upon identification of
impact information provided by the impact sensor 50, cause
triggering of the actuator 28.
The impact sensor 50 may be of an accelerometers device, for
example, a piezoelectric type, a piezoresistive type, a capacitive
type or a micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) type or any type
which detects a sudden deceleration. The impact sensor may also be
a radar device which uses radio waves to determine a proximity and
a speed of an object relative to the impact sensor 50.
Additionally, the impact sensor may be a lidar device which
utilizes light waves to achieve the same functionality as the radar
system. Furthermore, the impact sensor 50 may be a vision system
which may include one or more cameras, CCD image sensors, and/or
CMOS image sensors to detect a nearing object.
Communications between the controller 52, the impact sensor 50, the
actuator 28, and or other components in or around the vehicle 10,
may be connected to a communication bus 58, such as a controller
area network (CAN) bus, of the vehicle 10. The controller 52 may
use information from the communication bus 58 to control the
triggering of the actuator 28. In the event of a collision, the
impact sensing system 62 detects an impact from the impact sensor
50. The impact sensing system 62 will then instruct the actuator 28
to activate. When activated, the actuator 28 will pull the cable 30
towards the actuator 28. This upward movement of the cable 30
rotates the lever 22 to rotates and push the panel 18 away from
frame 26 to the space the panel 18 from the frame 26 to absorb
energy from the occupant 14 in the event the occupant 14 moves
toward the seatback 16.
The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it
is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is
intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of
limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present
disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the
disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically
described.
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